Brush structure



-Iam. 20, 1970 K. N. KRW-:R ET AL 3,490,087

BRUSH STRUCTURE Filed April 25, 1968 SGI/@CE n?. XW? /1 United States Patent O 3,490,087 BRUSH STRUCTURE Keith N. Krier, Minneapolis, and Paul W. Kimzey, St.

Louis Park, Minn., assignors to Tennant Company,

Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 724,201 Int. Cl. A46b .I3/02 U.S. Cl. 15--179 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE PRIOR ART A brush structure wherein the brush segments are inclined at an angle with respect to the rotational axis of the brush is shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,324,272. This is a composite structure mounted onto an elongated mounting member but does show the incline of the plane of the brush with respect to the rotational axis. However, the construction of individual brush segments in this manner is not shown in Patent No. 2,324,272.

Inclined brush segments are also shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,084,367. These are also mounted on a common arbor. U.S. Patent No. 3,084,367 has outer members with large eliptical holes in the center and uses keyways for driving. The edges of the holes are used to position the brush segments at the proper angle. This is inaccurate and dicult to make as well. When the brush segments are mounted onto the large cylindrical arbor, the outer mem-bers of the brush segments will tend to buckle because the thin metal sections are unsupported in axial direction adjacent the surface of the arbor.

In many instances it is desirable to have individual relatively narrow brushes, each individually rotatably mounted for cleaning a surface so 'that each brush can oat independently of the other brush segments. Also, in doing so it is desirable to reduce the manufacturing costs, and at the same time have a brush which will give an effective brush path width greater than the width of the lbristles. When the brush segments are clamped, the surfaces clamped should give adequate support against compression failure.

'Ille present invention discloses a structure for solving these requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An individually mounted brush or brushing wheel having Ithe plane of the brush inclined with respect to the axis of rotation, wherein an integral hub having a locating surface for accurately orienting and holding the brush in place is used. The individual brush wheels can be firmly clamped onto a spindle or arbor without damag- 3,490,087 Patented Jan. 20, 1970 ICC ing the brush housing, and the drive for the brush can be made through the hub.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a brush mounting member driving a brush segment made according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded sectional View of the members used for constructing the brush of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view showin-g a brush constructed according to the present invention, and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the device of FIGURE 3 with parts broken away.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A brush structure shown generally at 10 is mounted onto a spindle 11 that is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 12 and is driven through a chain and sprocket 13 (or other drive means) from a power source 14. The spindle 11 rotates, and the brush can be driven through a pin 15 mounted onto a member 16 that is driven by the spindle.

The member 16 has a part conical member 17 on one side thereof. The brush assembly 10 is made up of two stamped or formed members forming an assembly around a center section. A pair of adapter or clamping plates 20 and 20A have identically formed hubs illustrated generally at 26. The hubs 26 include hub sections 21 which have part conical inner surfaces 22. The hubs are formed identically and the plates 20 and 20A are placed back to back and rotated for assembly. The pla-tes 20 and 20A diifer by having the holes therein punched differently to form complemental parts. The hub section 21 of the inner adapter plate 20 is mounted over the part conical member 17 and the hub section on outer pla-te 20A is supported by a tapered nut 24. The brush is clamped in placed with the nut 24 threaded on the spindle. The adapter plates 20 and 20A have outer annular disc rim sections 25 and 25A adjacent the outer periphery of the plates. Each rim section lies in a plane, which is parallel to the plane of the brush.

The adapter plates 20 and 20A are usually formed metal stampings (or molded plastic or the like), and the hubs 26 are identically formed so that the axis of rotation for the hubs is oblique to the planes of outer rim sections 25 and 25A. This is done by forming each of the hubs with a Itransition section 27 along a part of the periphery of each of the plates. The section 27 joins the planar locater section 28. The planar section 28 in turn joins the outer portion 25 opposite from the point where transition section 27 is the deepest. The planar sections 28 surround the conical hub sections 21. The plane of Section 28 is oblique to the plane of the rim section of each plate and is at right angles to the axis of rotation of the brush assembly and at right angles to the axis of cone surface 22. When mated, the offset of the planar sections 28 provides a space for bristles lbetween the rim sections of the plates.

The brush assembly includes a center ring type lock plate member 30 which is provided with a plurality of tabs 31, 32 extending outwardly on opposite sides of the main part of the lock member in an alternating manner. The members 20 and 20A are each provided with a plurality of openings 34 and 34A around the periphery thereof. While the hubs of the members are identically formed, the holes 34 are positioned angularly offset about the r0- tational axis from holes 34A when the hubs are properly mated. A locating hole 3S, which can be used with a driving pin 15, is provided in each hub and these holes align when the hubs are properly positioned. As shown, with twenty-four holes in each of the plates 20 and 20A the holes 34 are offset 71/2" from the holes 34A. The holes 34 and 34A in the respective plates are 15 apart. Thus the tabs 31 and 32 which are offset on opposite sides of the center member 30, align with their respective holes when the two parts 20 and 20A are properly positie-ned. Also the hole 35 in plate 30 is 180 out of phase with the hole 35 in plate 20A. Other than this the plates 20 and 20A are identical and the hub sections mate complementally when the plates are placed back to back and rotated 180, as shown in FIGURE 2.

Separate individual sets of bristles illustrated generally at 36 are placed over each of the tabs 31 and 32. Thus the spaces between adjacent tabs of the center section 30 on each side of the plate or center member 30 are filled. The two plates 20 and 20A are slid together so that the tabs 31 and 32 extend through the respective openings 34 and 34A in the respective plates 20 and 20A. The two plates 20 and 20A are then pressed together tightly adjacent the outer portions 25 and the tabs 31 and 32 are bent over to lock the two outer plates in position and hold the looped bristle sets 36 within the confines of the two plate members 20 and 20A and locked in by the tabs 31 and 32.

The bristles are then trimmed off so that the outer surface of the bristles will define a cylindrical surface concentric with the axis of the hub 21 as the brush rotates. The bristles will fully contact a surface 37 to be brushed.

Once the brush unit is mounted onto a spindle, and is rotated, it can be seen that the effective width of the brush is yfro-m the outer edge to the outer edge as measured by planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation and comprise a distance indicated at 40. The working edges of the bristles thus actually move transversely back and forth in axial direction as the brush rotates. The oblique mounting gives the brush a greater effective path width as it rotates than the width of the bristles at the outer periphery of the brush.

The brushes can be used with any type of bristles, but usually wire bristles are used. The brushes are found t be effective for brushing concrete surfaces, as well as being used for ordinary brushing tasks. Particularly, Where the brush sections are individually mounted the sections can be used to great advantage on irregular surfaces because the individual brush sections can float with respect to any other brush sections that may be mounted.

The integral hubs formed right into the plates 20 and 20A permit quick and accurate manufacture. The sections 2S and 28 as well as the conical surface 22 of the hub sections 21 are formed at once. Thus, the offset angle between the axis of mounting and the brush plane can be exactly held. The hub sections 21 extend out from the plane of section 28 as shown, but a center hole through section 28 can be used. Section 28 forms a locater plane for positioning the brush, and holes through the section can be round instead of elliptical.

The two hub sections of the plates 20 and 20A support each other in axial direction when they are clamped. Note that the edge surfaces surrounding the center opening 41 align so that the tapered nuts can be tightened down securely without buckling the side walls of the plates. The planar sections 28 also are contiguous and can be fastened together if desired. Thus the axial clamping does not stress or load the tabs used to clamp plates 20 and 20A together.

The integral hubs thus give greater strength than where large center holes are provided. If desired, a large number of individual brush members l0 can be mounted on a common spindle by providing tapered spacers which mate with the surfaces 22 between the brush members.

The openings 35 and the axial openings 41 are not elliptical. They are round holes punched or formed at right angles to planar sections 28. Round holes are much easier to form than elliptical holes, and providing the integral hub with planar portions 28l eliminates the need for elliptical holes while still obtaining the advantages of a brush segment which has a plane oblique to its axis of rotation. The transition section 27 provides the angular offset between the hub and the outer planar portions 25 and 25A. No elliptical holes are necessary.

The hub could be integral with center ring plate 30 in certain instances if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. A brush structure comprising a mounting plate having an outer peripheral rim portion lying in a common plane, means to attach bristles to the mounting plate adjacent the periphery thereof, and hub means for said mounting plate comprising a locater member fixed to the rim portion with the plane thereof oblique with respect to the plane of the outer peripheral rim portion of said mounting plate, said hub means including positioning means to mount said mounting plate for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the locater member.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said positioning means comprises a hub section extending outwardly from the locate-r member, said hub section having an interior conical surface surrounding an opening through the mounting plate and being concentric with the axis of rotation of said mounting plate.

3. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said means to attach bristles to said mounting plate includes a second mounting plate substantially identical to said first mounting plate, said plates being mounted back to back and substantially 180 out of phase whereby said locater members are contiguous and said rim portions are spaced apart, said bristles being clamped between said rim portions.

4. The combination as specified in claim 3 and a center lock ring member between said mounting plates and having separate tab means passing through said mounting plates, said tab means being bent over to hold the mounting plates from spreading apart in axial direction.

S. In a rotary brush structure comprising a circular lock ring plate having tabs at its edge, looped bristle units engaged by said tabs and clamping plates at opposite sides of said ring, said clamping plates having rim sections for clamping rim sections for clamping said bristle units, said tabs extending through openings in said rim sections and lbent over to prevent the clamping plates from separating in axial direction, the improvement comprising an integral hub formed from the center section of at least one of said plates comprising a locater member fixed to the rim of said one plate and defining a locater plane positioned oblique to the plane of the' rim, and means on said locater member to permit the rotary brush to be mounted for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to said locater plane` 6. The rotary brush of claim 5 wherein both of said clamping plates have integral hubs and means defining said integral hubs to form complemental mating hub members when the clamping plates are placed in assembled position back to back and rotated substantially 180.

7. The rotary brush of Claim 6 further characterized in that the locater members each comprise an annular planar portion, surrounding `an axial opening defined through said hubs, Said planar portion being Hush with the rim of its respective plate at a first position on the rim, and means to offset said planar portion from the rim of its respective plate a maximum amount substantially l from said first position, said maximum amount of ofiset being substantially equal to the space between the rims of the clamping plates when the tabs have been bent over to prevent said clamping plates from separating in axial direction.

8. The rotary bmsh as specified in claim 7 and hub sections integral with an extending outwardly from said planar portions, said hub sections dening said axial opening.

9. The rotary brush as specified in claim 8 wherein the inner surfaces of said hub sections are conical and have a minimum dimension adjacent the center of said brush.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,324,272 7/ 1943 Anderson 15-179 2,856,624 10/1958 Cook et a1. 15-181 3,084,367 4/1963 Radinse 15-181 PETER FELDMAN, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

